Bright Child Vs Gifted Child
If you ask someone if they know who the gifted kids are, they are likely to point out the ones that arebright. Bright kids are a joy to teach. They listen well, don't question the teacher, work hard and answer questions. They don't challenge the teacher's competence or stray off the curriculum. Bright kids enjoy school and get challenged with the work that they are asked to do. They find the work neither too hard nor too easy. The gifted child on the other hand may be spending almost all of the school day thinking or doing something other than what the teacher wants. They view the constant repetition so boring that they often don't shine in the classroom. You might find the gifted child day dreaming, looking out of the window, reading a book instead of listening. Gifted children often hate school and are not challenged at all by the work presented to them because the concepts and ideas being taught may be far below their intellectual prowess in some or all areas. The problems that this creates are many and varied. For example, some may go underground and not perform, or they might "annoy" the teacher with wild and silly sounding ideas and suggestions. Further, these students may do very little work but demonstrate mastery of a subject when it comes to test time.
In general....
A Bright Child.... A gifted child....
Knows the answer Asks the questions - sometimes deep probing questions of an abstract nature
Is interested Is highly curious
Is attentive Is mentally and physically involved
Has good ideas Has wild, silly ideas
Works hard Plays around, yet tests well
Answers the questions Discusses in detail, elaborates
Top Group Beyond the group
Listens with interest Shows strong feelings and opinions
Learns with ease Already knows
6-8 repetitions for mastery 1-2 repetitions for mastery
Understands ideas Constructs ideas
Enjoys peers Prefers company with like-minded ideas usually found in older kids or adults
Grasps the meaning Draws inferences and opens up new questions
Completes assignments Initiates projects
Copies accurately Creates a new design
Enjoys school Enjoys learning - but may hate school
Absorbs information Manipulates information
Technician Inventor - Loves construction toys
Good Memorizer Good guesser - draws on vast information store
Is alert Is keenly observant - seems to remember fine detail
Is pleased with own learning Is highly self-critical - can be perfectionistic to the point of tantrums when young.
Enjoys straight-forward and/or sequential presentation Thrives on complexity -need the whole picture. Requires a gestalt approach.
If you ask someone if they know who the gifted kids are, they are likely to point out the ones that arebright. Bright kids are a joy to teach. They listen well, don't question the teacher, work hard and answer questions. They don't challenge the teacher's competence or stray off the curriculum. Bright kids enjoy school and get challenged with the work that they are asked to do. They find the work neither too hard nor too easy. The gifted child on the other hand may be spending almost all of the school day thinking or doing something other than what the teacher wants. They view the constant repetition so boring that they often don't shine in the classroom. You might find the gifted child day dreaming, looking out of the window, reading a book instead of listening. Gifted children often hate school and are not challenged at all by the work presented to them because the concepts and ideas being taught may be far below their intellectual prowess in some or all areas. The problems that this creates are many and varied. For example, some may go underground and not perform, or they might "annoy" the teacher with wild and silly sounding ideas and suggestions. Further, these students may do very little work but demonstrate mastery of a subject when it comes to test time.
In general....
A Bright Child.... A gifted child....
Knows the answer Asks the questions - sometimes deep probing questions of an abstract nature
Is interested Is highly curious
Is attentive Is mentally and physically involved
Has good ideas Has wild, silly ideas
Works hard Plays around, yet tests well
Answers the questions Discusses in detail, elaborates
Top Group Beyond the group
Listens with interest Shows strong feelings and opinions
Learns with ease Already knows
6-8 repetitions for mastery 1-2 repetitions for mastery
Understands ideas Constructs ideas
Enjoys peers Prefers company with like-minded ideas usually found in older kids or adults
Grasps the meaning Draws inferences and opens up new questions
Completes assignments Initiates projects
Copies accurately Creates a new design
Enjoys school Enjoys learning - but may hate school
Absorbs information Manipulates information
Technician Inventor - Loves construction toys
Good Memorizer Good guesser - draws on vast information store
Is alert Is keenly observant - seems to remember fine detail
Is pleased with own learning Is highly self-critical - can be perfectionistic to the point of tantrums when young.
Enjoys straight-forward and/or sequential presentation Thrives on complexity -need the whole picture. Requires a gestalt approach.